The ever-increasing digitization of business is forcing IT to reevaluate their current computer power capacity, driving the expansion of existing data centers, or in some cases, the construction of new data centers, including modular data centers. However, today’s competitive marketplace means businesses cannot write a blank check just to meet these increasing demands; IT must approach expansion or new builds with consideration for both capacity and total cost of ownership (TCO).
Whether upgrading an existing data center or building a new one, it’s important to consider TCO. And as one of the more costly data center components to purchase and operate, power and cooling should be a key TCO consideration during the planning phase — both in terms of upfront investment (capital expenses, or CAPEX) and long term spend over the life of the data center, which quickly becomes more expensive than the original investment (operational expenses, or OPEX).